Build a Tiered Dirt Track Sponsorship Package That Sells

Let's be honest. When you’re spending your weeknights covered in grease, scraping clay off your chassis, and chasing the perfect gear setup for Saturday night at your local 3/8-mile oval, the last thing you want to do is play salesman. But tires aren’t cheap, race fuel prices are sky-high, and broken parts don’t replace themselves. You need sponsors to keep your program running.

The problem is how most local racers ask for money. They walk into a local business, hand the owner a generic letter, and ask for a flat $5,000. It's a massive leap of faith for a local business. When the owner inevitably says no, the racer walks away empty-handed and frustrated.

Stop doing this. If you want to consistently fund your race team, you need to offer sponsorship tiers.

Giving potential partners options—usually structured as Bronze, Silver, and Gold packages—changes the entire conversation. Instead of asking "Will you give me $5,000?", you are asking "Which of these packages fits your marketing budget?" It shifts the dynamic from a simple yes/no question to a collaborative decision.

Here is exactly how to build, price, and sell racing sponsorship packages that actually get businesses to open their checkbooks, so you can focus on winning A-Mains.

Why You Need Good, Better, and Best

Think about how you buy parts for your car. If you're looking at shocks, the manufacturer doesn't just offer a $4,000 custom-valved canister set. They offer a basic entry-level shock, a mid-tier adjustable shock, and the top-of-the-line pro set. They do this because every racer has a different budget.

Business owners operate the exact same way. A local mom-and-pop diner might only have $500 to spend on local marketing this year. A mid-sized plumbing company might have $2,500. A regional construction firm might have $10,000.

If you only pitch a $5,000 package, you lose the diner and the plumber, and you might undersell to the construction firm. Tiers allow you to capture money from all three.

Building Your Bronze Package (The Foot in the Door)

Your entry-level tier is designed to be a no-brainer for small local businesses. It gets them involved in your program without a massive financial commitment.

Suggested Pricing: $500 - $1,000 per season

What You Deliver:

• Small Decal Placement: Offer a 6x6 inch or 4x8 inch decal. Place these on the lower valance, the B-pillar, or the rear bumper. It's visible in the pits and up close, but it doesn't dominate the car.
• Group Social Media Mentions: Once a month, do a "Partner Spotlight" post on your team's Facebook or Instagram page tagging all your Bronze-level sponsors.
• End-of-Year Plaque: A simple $30 wood plaque with a photo of your car and "Proud Sponsor of [Your Name] Racing" goes a long way. They will hang it in their lobby, which gives them bragging rights and gives you free exposure.

The Goal: The Bronze tier isn't going to buy your engine, but five Bronze sponsors buy your tires for a month. More importantly, a Bronze sponsor this year is your easiest target for a Silver upgrade next year.

Building Your Silver Package (The Sweet Spot)

This is where you make your bread and butter. The Silver package is for businesses that want real visibility but can't quite afford to be the primary name on the car.

Suggested Pricing: $1,500 - $3,000 per season

What You Deliver:

• Medium Decal Placement: Offer a 12x12 inch or 12x24 inch decal. Prime real estate for this includes the sail panels, the lower doors, or the trunk lid.
• Dedicated Social Media Posts: Silver sponsors get their own individual shoutouts. If you have a great heat race or a top-5 finish, post a picture of the car and write, "Couldn't have made it to the front without the support of Smith Plumbing!"
• Pit Passes and Event Access: This is where you bring the experience. Offer them two pit passes for two regular Saturday night shows during the season. Let them stand by the car during hot laps. Introduce them to the driver. Give them the sights, sounds, and smells of a 1/4-mile bullring.
• PA Announcements: Most local track announcers will read off your sponsor list during driver intros or caution laps. Make sure your Silver sponsors are explicitly listed on the sheet you give the tower.

The Goal: Sell three or four of these, and you've covered your fuel, entry fees, and general maintenance for the season.

Building Your Gold Package (The Primary Partner)

This is the big one. Your Gold sponsor is your primary partner. When fans look at your car, this is the first name they see. Because the price tag is high, the deliverables must be exceptional.

Suggested Pricing: $5,000 - $10,000+ per season

What You Deliver:

• Premium Decal Placement: The hood, the upper quarter panels, and the primary door spots. Their logo needs to be massive and easily readable from the top row of the grandstands while the car is at speed.
• Victory Lane Exclusivity: When you win, you pull into victory lane, get out of the car, and immediately mention them. "The Smith Construction machine was on rails tonight."
• Weekly VIP Access: Give them a set of pit passes or grandstand tickets for the entire season. Treat them like part of the crew.
• Business Appearances: Offer to bring the race car to their place of business for a Saturday morning promotional event or an employee appreciation cookout. Let kids sit in the seat. This gives the business a tangible, real-world marketing event they can advertise.
• Apparel Integration: Their logo goes on the chest or upper back of your crew shirts and driver suit.

How to Figure Out Sponsor Pricing

Do not pull numbers out of thin air. Your sponsor pricing needs to be based on two things: your actual costs and the exposure you provide.

First, calculate your racing budget for the year. Let's say it costs you $15,000 to run a 20-race schedule at your local 1/2-mile clay oval. You shouldn't try to get one guy to pay $15,000. Instead, break it down:

• 1 Gold Sponsor @ $6,000 = $6,000
• 3 Silver Sponsors @ $2,000 = $6,000
• 6 Bronze Sponsors @ $500 = $3,000
• Total = $15,000

Next, justify the price using exposure. If your local track averages 2,500 fans a night, and you race 20 nights, that's 50,000 impressions over the season—not counting the pit area, the drive to the track, or your social media followers. Tell the sponsor: "For $2,000, your brand is getting put in front of 50,000 captive, local, brand-loyal fans this summer. That's way cheaper than a local billboard."

Delivering on Your Promises (Don't Drop the Ball)

Selling the package is only 20% of the job. The other 80% is actually doing what you promised.

If you promise a Silver sponsor two dedicated Facebook posts a month and four pit passes for the season, you better deliver. Nothing burns a bridge faster than taking a business owner's money and then ghosting them until next January when you need another check.

When you start juggling five Bronze sponsors, three Silver, and a Gold, remembering who gets a pit pass this Saturday gets messy. Inside Maximum Zone Systems, you can use the sponsor tiers feature to map out and track exactly what deliverables you owe each partner. It keeps your team organized so you never miss a social shoutout, forget a pit pass, or leave a logo off a hero card.

The "A La Carte" Option

Always leave room for add-ons. Sometimes a business doesn't want a full-season package, but they want to sponsor something specific.

Offer specific inventory:

• Tire Sponsor: $200 buys a right rear tire. They get their name written on the tire in silver sharpie and a shoutout on social media.
• Special Event Sponsor: If you are traveling to a big regional two-day show, sell a one-off hood decal for $500 just for that weekend.
• Fuel Sponsor: $100 covers your methanol for the night.

These smaller, bite-sized options are great ways to build relationships with businesses that are hesitant to commit to a full tier.

The Final Lap

Treat your race program like a business, and local businesses will treat you like a marketing partner. By building clear, tiered racing sponsorship packages, you take the guesswork out of the process for your potential sponsors.

Stop asking for handouts and start selling valuable marketing real estate. Build your Bronze, Silver, and Gold packages this week, print out a clean, one-page summary of your tiers, and start knocking on doors. You might be surprised by how many people say yes when you finally give them a choice.